Wait, what?
by Imagination is the Ammunition
Summary: Slash - Loki/Tony - In the middle of a battle Loki kisses Tony before escaping. Tony is left to wonder if it was a strategic move on Loki's part or if it is something more. norsekink prompt fill. M for language currently
1. Chapter 1: The First

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Avengers, except my Loki and Iron Man Lego figures

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Furious brown glared into sparkling emerald green.

A silent standoff between two great powers; one of technology and one of magic, one of logic and one of chaos, one of Earth and one of Asgard.

Sweat and blood dripped down their faces as each stared into the others eyes. Arms encased in metal and leather strained against each other. Neither man yielding to the other.

The battle faded around them, narrowing down on the struggle between the two males.

No words were exchanged between them, none needed to be, the harsh insults and accusations already having been said many times before, the time for witty banter long passed.

A usually shielded face clearly displayed the rage of the man it belonged to. The covering ripped off of his suit of crimson and gold by the one opposite him, dressed in green, black and gold, so as to strip away his defence, make him more vulnerable. The man with green eyes seemed to revel in the anger contained in the others hard gaze. Yet, despite the contrasting emotions, both figures appeared to exude the same weariness, borne of prolonged confrontation.

A spark suddenly lit up emerald green eyes before they and the body they belonged to disappeared without sound or warning.

The man in red staggered briefly before righting himself, his brown eyes darkened in suspicion and wariness, which turned into poorly hidden surprise as he was spun round by the one in leather as he reappeared only a scant few inches away.

As the whir of a charging weapon was heard viridian eyes, bright with renewed mischief, flickered over the tanned face in front of him before meeting dark brown. A small movement by the man in green, as he leaned down to brush his lips against his opponent's.

Brown eyes, widened in shock, met smug green as Loki, God of mischief, prince of Asgard and super-villain extraordinaire kissed Tony Stark, Iron Man and Avenger, before disappearing in a swirl of green fire.

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Wait…what?

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**A/N: First try at writing, advice and criticisms welcome. Hope you enjoy and that its not to terrible ^_^  
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**Did you know?: 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan are the only two Disney cartoon features with both parents that are present and don't die throughout the movie. Cheerful.  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Bovine-fixated maniac

Again, I own nothing *sob* it all belongs to Stan Lee, Marvel, et al

Warning: a few swear words and a bit of asshole-ish!Steve

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Chapter 2

The Avengers worked in awkward silence with the SHIELD agents on clear-up duty. None of the six knew what to say to break the tense atmosphere surrounding them, and honestly, who could blame them?

It's not every day that one of their own is kissed by one of, if not _the_, biggest supervillain out there after all.

As the clean-up job progressed, the other five heroes, who were trying to get their heads around The Kiss, as it had been dubbed, often caught Tony ghosting over his lips with a gauntleted hand before giving a small shake and refocusing on the task at hand.

Before too long, due to the combined forces of the weary but determined team, the area where the battle had taken place was pretty much cleared, civilians starting to come out of their hiding places, already wondering how much repairs were going to be for their homes or shops. Many were taking photos or videos of the famed superhero team, whilst a few were calling out their thanks and, in some cases, abuse by the minority who believed that the world didn't need superheroes;

Which, if you think about it, is quite and idiotic view because really, what could a civilian do compared to a demigod, a super-soldier, a world class assassin, the best archer on the planet, an 8 foot tall, green mass of muscle and a genius piloting the most advanced piece of weaponised technology?

The team returned to Avengers, previously Stark, Tower. Tony and Thor choosing to fly via their own means, whilst the rest, including Bruce, as Hulk had relinquished his hold on their shared conscious, flew back in the quinjet.

The worn out team split up on landing to clean themselves up, change out of their bloodied and torn clothing and deal with any injuries, before reassembling in the Avengers meeting room for the widely cursed, but mandatory debriefing with Fury. Normally Tony would at least try to weasel his way out of it, but he was so out of it and so tired, that he just sat down without a fuss. He hadn't said a single word since Loki had disappeared from the fight and although it was a mildly welcome relief from the near constant chatter, it just wasn't like Tony.

As the debrief began, Tony allowed himself to slip off into his own thoughts again, blocking off all outside distractions as his genius-level mind worked to process the multitude of theories and schemes that could have been behind Loki's actions earlier that day. Unfortunately for him, this was the Liesmith himself and none bar Loki himself knows how his mind works, what the motive behind his actions could be.

Theory after theory scrolled past his mind's eye, analysed then discarded or stored for further investigation. Tony became more and more frustrated as the variety and number of possible reasons continued to grow and no absolute motive clear, before he was suddenly aware of someone speaking to him.

"Stark...Stark...STARK!" Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, had gotten progressively louder after Tony continued to ignore him.

"Yeah Nicky" Tony replied, retreating behind his mask of arrogance and mockery, hiding the frustration and utter confusion he felt. His teammates rolled their eyes or shook their heads, long used to the disrespect their billionaire friend showed to those who he deemed unworthy of his compliance and respect.

"Do you have anything you want to contribute to the report?"

"Nope, I'm good thanks"

A sceptical Fury raised an eyebrow in faint disbelief and irritation. "So you have nothing to say about the fact that, apparently, _Loki_, our number one supervillain, made out with you while you were fighting him?"

The other Avengers turned their gazes to Tony, they were curious as to how the eccentric self-proclaimed playboy would feel about this whole situation. The group as a whole subtly leaned forward in anticipation.

"Considering he's a grade-A asshole and the whole cow devotion thing he's got going on with that helmet, Reindeer Games is actually a surprisingly good kisser."

Silence.

Clint choked on air.

Thor's face darkened and he stood up, ready to defend Loki like the over protective big brother he is.

Steve's eyes widened and he leaned back in his chair; his face tinged a faint green.

Natasha and Bruce were expecting Tony to say something like that; she just rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, arms folded and an unimpressed look on her face, whilst Bruce snorted quietly, shaking his head a little before observing the rest of the team's reactions.

Fury turned a one-eyed glare on the genius, who shrugged unrepentantly.

"It's not a lie."

Fury's glare deepened. Tony raised his arms defensively.

"What do you want me to say? It's not like I was expecting this any more than you were, less, even. I don't know why you're all getting so worked up over this, I'm the one who's been assaulted by a bovine-fixated maniac, I could be traumatised by this for the rest of my life. Have a little sympathy."

"Were you expecting it?" This came from Steve, who had regained his composure, although he still looked a little green around the gills.

"Huh?" Even Natasha and Fury looked a bit dubious about Steve's question, which made Tony feel warm and tingly inside, underneath the sparking anger of course.

Steve, though, was unyielding in the face of such disbelief. "Were you expecting Loki to…_kiss_…you? I mean, we all know you'll bed almost anyone, Stark, and you've been even worse since Miss Potts broke up with you, so who's to say Loki hasn't ended up there at some point?" The others in the room considered this for a minute in their heads, before, all of them, except Bruce, turned to Tony in askance.

Tony's gaped, looking from one person to the next in incredulous, yet growing anger. "You can't seriously believe this crap?"

"Answer the question Stark."

"Fuck you all, I have had _nothing_ to do with that prick except for fighting against him. You know what? I don't even know why I'm justifying myself in my own home, especially when I've done nothing wrong." Tony stood up, a near perfect mask disguising his emotions, but if you looked closely, you could see the glimmer of hurt. "If you believe I'd endanger my friends and family for _sex_ with the guy who threw me through a fucking window, then you clearly have no clue about me and since you obviously don't trust me, you can all get the fuck out of my tower too since it was only by my generosity that allowed you to stay here. I refuse to live in close quarters with two-faced morons like you."

With that, Tony spun around and stalked out of the room, disappearing into maze of Avengers tower.

The group sat in the board room in shocked and guilty, in some cases, silence, before it was broken by Bruce, whose eyes were tinged with radioactive green.

"Really, Steve? I know you and Tony don't get along but accusing him of sleeping with that bag of cats as well as bringing up Pepper, was totally uncalled for. It's only been two weeks since they broke up and if you had paid any attention to your teammate, your supposed friend, you would have noticed that Tony hasn't been outside the tower since then, except for when we were called to assemble. He has barely even slept or eaten the past couple of weeks because he's been so busy upgrading and repairing your gear as well as the suit, on top of running a multi-billion dollar corporation. He hasn't had the time or the desire to sleep with anyone!" Bruce shouted, before pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

"I highly recommend that you take your heads out of your asses before you alienate Tony completely, you can only push so far, and if he goes, I go with him." Bruce stated calmly before following after his Science Bro.

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**A/N: Let me know what you think. If you have any ideas or suggestions you would like me to include feel free to ask :) **

**This is un-betad so I apologise for any mistakes. Yay for longer chapters!  
**

**Did you know? Great Britain has invaded roughly 90% of the world's countries.**


	3. Chapter 3: For SCIENCE!

I own nothing, if I did, do you think I would be writing this?

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Chapter 3

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Bruce looked calm walking out of the debrief, however, he was anything but calm. Hulk was ready to smash the ones who hurt his Tin-man, the only Avenger he respected or trusted because he actually liked Hulk. The small scientist struggled to hold back the transformation with Hulk's anger piling on top of his own, but he somehow managed it.

He couldn't believe the nerve of those ungrateful asses. How dare they accuse Tony of being disloyal? He has devoted so much of himself to the initiative compared to those four who sit back and wait until it's time to fight. Tony is the one who does all the press conferences, who keeps them in good press, who funds most of the initiative, develops their weapons and technology, gave them a home and asked for nothing in return. Yeah, he may annoy you sometimes, but it's part of Tony's character.

Bruce was fiercely loyal to Tony, not only because he was unafraid and actually welcomed Hulk, but because he was the first person he could remember, in years, who made him feel welcome, like he belonged. It was also because, as he and Tony had gotten closer, he was privileged enough to be allowed to see under the mask that Tony seemed to wear for everyone else, he saw that Tony was just as affection-starved and lonely as he was. Through their similarities, the two's friendship had progressed until they were practically brothers.

And right now, Bruce needed to find and help his brother.

Tony was fuming as he made his way to his lab, the one not dedicated to his suits. He couldn't believe that Steve had the gall to even suggest that Tony would do something like that, let alone the rest of the team agreeing with him. He did feel a small twinge of guilt for blowing up at Bruce though; they had gotten close, almost like brothers, in the months since the Chitauri invasion.

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Sort of flashback

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After the Avengers had split up after Loki had been taken back to Asgard, Tony had come up with the idea to turn Stark Tower into Avengers Tower. He spent countless hours designing and personalising each Avenger's floor as well as modified training rooms and gyms. When the renovations were finally complete, Tony invited the rest of the team to come and live in the tower.

Bruce had been the first to arrive, enticed back by the promise of clean living conditions, no worrying about food or being hunted down, the advanced equipment and the unique acceptance and lack of fear from Tony. Although Bruce did sometimes question whether the other genius had any self-preservation instincts at all.

In the initial few weeks, Bruce had begun to relax around Tony, revealing a man with a cutting sense of humour, easily able to keep up with the Tony's level of snark. Tony welcomed the interaction; finally being able to have someone who would give as well as he got and also understand what he talked about without him having to dumb it down first. Not only that but Bruce contributed to some of his projects whilst challenging some of his theories and ideas as well, helping him improve his work and not just letting Tony steamroll over him as most others were want to do.

The Science Bros were formed when Tony, in a coffee and sleep-deprived high, decided that he wanted a lightsaber. Bruce, instead of trying to rein in the crazy idea, collaborated with Tony and together, combining their extensive knowledge and expertise, eventually managed to create a fully functioning lightsaber. It was the first in a long line of insane creations that brought sci-fi into reality as the Science Bros were unafraid to go where no scientist has gone before.

Their creations were put to good use as pranking tools against the other Avengers, Fury and, occasionally, villains, because what easier way was there to distract a villain, than by pulling out a lightsaber and challenging him to a duel?

The two geniuses thought it was hilarious that nobody suspected Bruce of being Tony's partner-in-crime.

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End of flashback-type section

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Tony returned from his memories to find that his body had subconsciously taken him to where he wanted to go. The reinforced steel door opened at his arrival and he walked into his lab and to his primary workstation, flopping down on the seat there.

"Jarvis, lock the door please. Don't let anyone in without my permission." Tony ordered whilst taking the hot coffee from Dummy before he dropped it with a quiet "Good boy"

"Certainly, Sir" the AI replied

"Thanks Jarv, bring up something for me to work on, would ya." Tony requested, taking a gulp of his drink to try and boost his energy.

The holographic screen in front of the inventor flickered on and he could see files being searched through as Jarvis looked for a suitable project for him to work on. The screen eventually settled on a project he'd started recently; creating new, specialised arrows for Clint. The file was abruptly swiped off the screen. Almost instantaneously, the next file opened; a new, protective material design for Cap, Widow and Hawkeye's costumes. That too, was brushed of the screen. Another file popped up; schematics for improving Black Widow's widow bites before Tony viciously swiped the screen clear, slamming down his drink.

"Damn it Jarvis, do we have anything that hasn't got anything to do with those two-faced bastards?" he yelled.

"I assume you mean the rest of the Avengers, Sir?"

"What do you think?" Tony replied curtly, before rubbing his face tiredly and sighing. "Sorry J, I shouldn't take it out on you, they just pissed me off."

"I understand, Sir."

"Thanks J."

"You're welcome, Sir. Might I suggest this project instead?" Jarvis said, simultaneously pulling up the relevant files on the hologram for Tony's perusal. The billionaire looked them over then minimised them reluctantly. It was the newest Science Bro project, one of his favourites so far. His fingers twitched at the urge to get to work and start creating it but he wanted Bruce to be there, it wouldn't be fair for him to miss it.

"I'd love to J but I kinda need Bruce for this one, it is half his after all." Tony picked up his coffee and took a swig to keep his hands occupied.

"Well, sir, Doctor Banner appears to be making his way here."

Tony turned to look at the panel that housed Jarvis in his lab in mild shock. "You sneaky computer system, you purposefully brought up my favourite project at the moment and the one I need Bruce to work on it. I should transfer your mainframe into a microwave and sell you to the nearest old folks home."

"Of course, sir."

"Are you being sarcastic with me, young man?" Tony asked teasingly, he loved bantering with Jarvis and it was good to see how far the AI system had progressed with the free-learning code he put in, which allowed Jarvis to learn and develop.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir." The AI retorted, a faint teasing note heard in his computerised voice. "Also, Doctor Banner has arrived, sir, and is waiting outside the door. Would you like me to let him in?" he continued.

Tony turned back to the holographic screen, bringing up the project files again. He switched his gaze between the door and the screen, indecision and longing, before heaving a sigh.

"Go ahead Jarv."

There was a hiss as the door opened and a small "Thanks, Jarvis." from Bruce, whose footsteps Tony could hear coming towards him. Bruce stopped next to Tony, leaning against the edge of the table and taking the coffee Dummy offered. Tony tensed a little in his seat, not sure whether or not Bruce would try and force him talk about the events of that day and his feelings concerning them. However, Bruce just stood there in silence, sipping his coffee. After a few minutes like that, Tony relaxed, seeing that he wasn't going to be pushed for answers and it only made him like Bruce more, for respecting his need to open up in his own time.

Bruce studied the screen in front of him, recognising the project he and Tony had been working on for the past few days. He glanced at Tony out of the corners of his eyes.

"You know, the last of the materials we ordered arrived at my lab yesterday…" He trailed off suggestively. Tony turned to face him, an excited grin starting to spread across his face.

"For Science?" the inventor questioned.

"For Science!" Bruce confirmed with a nod.

There was a momentary pause of anticipation before the lab burst into action; tools being set up, schematics brought up on screens, materials being sorted and a truckload of coffee being made because although the two were exhausted, they weren't going to stop until their masterpiece was brought to life.

And so, the Science Bros went to work.

Bruce let a small grin flit across his features, happy to have distracted Tony, if only a little, from thinking about earlier. Refocusing back on his task, he let the familiarity of working on a project push everything else to the back of his mind. He would wait until Tony wanted to talk about it.

Tony, who had his back to Bruce, let a content smile settle on his face as he realised Bruce was going to let him talk in his own time and would wait until he was ready. He was relieved that the trust he put into Bruce was safe, unlike it had been with his other alleged friends, because how could they be friends if they didn't trust him on a professional level, let alone a personal one.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Only Bruce and Tony this chapter (not that that's a bad thing), we'll see what happens with the others in the next. I'm not even sure yet :P**

**No slash between Tony and Bruce, just one of the most epic bromances ever seen. **

**Feel free to let me know what you think or if you see any mistakes **

**Thank you for the reviews and favourites, they made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside**

**Did you know? **A Roadrunner's top speed is about 20mph, a coyote's is about 43mph.


	4. Chapter 4: Dismissed

Another disclaimer. I own nothing of Avengers. Only merchandise and the movie (on DVD).

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Chapter 4

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The board room sat in the heavy silence left by two of their number storming out. No-one knew quite what to say as they sat there, thinking over what just happened.

Thor, who had sat down after Tony left, turned to the others in anger, although most of his ire was directed at his blue eyed teammate.

"What right do you have, to accuse the Man of Iron of laying with my brother." He thundered, his speech becoming more formal as he reverted back to his god like persona in his fury."You preach the value of trust and loyalty, yet turn on your own because of Loki's actions. He most likely kissed the Man of Iron for this exact purpose; to cause this dissent, to try and weaken us in preparation for his next attack and you fall for his trickery, like infants." he accused them.

"The Man of Iron has done much for us all. If this is his thanks, then perhaps you are not all as honourable as had believed." With that, the God of Thunder picked up Mjölnir and swept out of the room, pausing briefly at the door before continuing onwards, his cape swirling behind him.

The four remaining in the briefing room sat in slight shock, even Fury and Natasha's faces showed it, if only faintly. Rarely, if ever, did they see Thor as anything other than his cheerful, affectionate self. Even more so since he had returned from Asgard and had gradually relaxed from the formal attitude that was expected from the Crown Prince of the Realm Eternal.

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Now that he had been pointed out, Clint felt a wave of guilt for implying that Tony had betrayed them. He was normally more reasonable, but Clint always reacted more strongly whenever the God of Mischief was involved, anytime he was brought up, it brought back memories of the ordeal he had suffered through at the god's hands.

As he thought it over, he regretted his emotions even more because he had actually become quite good friends with the billionaire, bonding over banter and pranks. He also spent some time down in the labs, working with Tony on a few designs. Clint, despite what most thought and despite his lack of formal education, was actually quite intelligent. He had to be in his line of work, especially as an archer, as he had to calculate trajectories, distances, and factor in weather conditions as well as being able to assess a situation rapidly.

The archer looked around the room to try and determine what the others were feeling or thinking. Nick looked like he was planning how to prevent the situation from escalating any further than it already had. Clint knew his partner well enough to identify the glimmer of regret in her eyes.

Steve's reaction, however, worried Clint. The blond captain's face was tinged with disgust and anger, not a hint of remorse in his features. He opened his mouth to say something to his team leader, but closed it again when Natasha stood up and walked out of the room, without so much as a word ro a glance at any of them. The three males watched her go in silence.

"Well that went well." Clint was barely aware of himself saying the words. Fury and Steve were jolted out of their thoughts and back into reality. The Director moved to stand in front of the reinforced windows, calling out to the two remaining Avengers in the room behind him.

"If that is all, gentlemen, you are dismissed."

Steve nodded respectfully at his superior, not that he would see it, before standing up and marching out of the room. Clint scrambled after him, throwing a quick "Sir" behind him as he went. The agent was determined to find out why Steve was reacting so violently to what was going on. As he passed through the doorway, his body released a small shudder.

The shield-wielding Avenger was already halfway down the hallway, leaving Clint to run to try and catch up with him.

"Cap, wait up." he called after the blond, who turned with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Yes, Agent Barton." Steve replied curtly.

Clint couldn't help but want to back away slightly in wariness from the cold stare directed at him by his muscular teammate. Clint gave himself a mental shake to get back on track.

"You feeling alright there, Cap? You seem a bit…frustrated is all."

Steve's glare sharpened. "Are you not? The level of insubordination from our teammates today is unacceptable and not only that, but Stark was caught fraternising with the enemy! I am supposed to be okay with that?" he ranted, advancing on Clint as he continued.

Clint took a few steps back from the intimidating and suddenly explosive Avenger, wondering what the hell had gotten into his team leader. Then he registered what was being said and took a step toward the blond, prepared to defend his other teammates.

"Hold up a minute there, Steve, what Tony, Bruce and Thor did wasn't insubordination. Tony was defending himself from the unfair accusation _you_ threw at him, and Bruce and Thor were defending him as well as pointing out a couple of truths we seemed to fail seeing, like Loki manipulating us all, for one." Clint couldn't figure out why this hadn't been clear to him earlier, but he was going to do his best to try and get his message across to Steve.

Unfortunately, it wasn't really working as Steve retorted mockingly "Stark didn't seem to mind, in fact, he told us he didn't think it was '_that bad'_. Explain to me how that is an appropriate reaction."

The archer raised his arms in defence, he could see that Steve wasn't going to listen to reason any time soon. "Okay Cap, if that's how you want to be, then go ahead, but I don't think anyone else on this team will agree with you." He then slipped past the super-soldier and made his way to the elevator, leaving a fuming Captain America standing alone in an empty hallway.

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Thor wasn't as dense as he made himself out to be. The people around him seemed to forget that he was not of this realm originally. As an Asgardian, Thor could never claim to be the most intelligent, but compared to most Midgardians, he was actually a fair bit above average. He understood most modern technology; it was just more complex concepts, like Jarvis that managed to throw him a bit. Thor over-exaggerated most of his mannerisms, as he was usually mellower, because he had found it was a good way to gain a good idea of a person's character.

In a vaguely similar respect, he exaggerated his views on Loki. No-one, not even Thor could witness the crimes Loki had committed without losing faith in his proclaimed innocence as he would have you believe. As much as he loved his brother, he could not continue to believe the old Loki would return to him any time in the near future.

Which was why he could see the manipulation and danger that lay behind his brother's actions concerning Anthony.

The only reason Thor turned to Tony after Steven had questioned him, is to see whether there was any trace of his brother's magic on the inventor. Thor was well aware that Loki could mould his form to be whatever he desired it to be, so there was a chance that Anthony had, in fact, slept with his brother and was unaware of the fact. He didn't intend to inform the other Avengers of this. Luckily, Thor could see no residue of magic on Tony, which reassured the Thunder God that his teammate was not at any extra risk from Loki.

After Thor had said his part, he picked up his beloved Mjölnir and went to sweep out of the room, determined to find Anthony and make amends for not defending him earlier. However, the Asgardian prince faltered by the doorway, certain he had felt the brush of his brother's magic, but the feeling was gone just as quickly, so Thor had continued walking away.

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What Thor was, unfortunately, unaware of, was that the Trickster God had a much wider range of magic than believed. This hidden magic had allowed Loki to walk into Avengers Tower, unnoticed and undetected, even by the vast array of defences Tony had designed. Not a single person knew that the God of Mischief was standing in the board room, watching the aftermath of one simple kiss divide the team of superheroes.

He, of course, had helped to ignite the tension; a few suggestive words in their ears, a little spell to heighten negative emotions, a hint of logic suppression and a dash of hidden thoughts being revealed. Then he stood back and relished in the chaos that followed. He was displeased to discover that the vessel of the Green Beast, the Man of Iron and Thor, to an extent, were completely unaffected by his magic. On the other hand, he was satisfied, and a little intrigued, that the Captain succumbed so easily, perhaps it was because he already believed what Loki was whispering in his mind.

That both Thor and Barton had somehow, subconsciously, detected his presence was a minor annoyance, but he hadn't been revealed, so he supposed it was of little consequence.

The God of Chaos waited until all the Avengers had left the room before, with a grin, content in the knowledge that his adversaries were weakened and that he was the cause of it, Loki disappeared from Avengers Tower, to an undisclosed, shielded location to prepare the next assault on Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

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**A/N: Hope it was alright... **

**Loki's back, as well as the other Avengers, yay!**

**I couldn't make Steve a complete arse without having another reason behind it, I love him too much :'(**

**Did you know?** The University of Victoria offers a course in the science of Batman. **I would take that, just saying... **


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